Here is a great resource put together by Bob Craig, an associate professor in the Department of Communication, University of Colorado at Boulder. It provides a good introduction to the major theorists, theories, and fields in communication research. You can access this website by clicking here.
The International Assocation for Media and Communication Research has put together a great collection of academic journals that are completely free to access. These could be very useful if you’re having trouble finding an article through your library’s collection. Also, since some of these are not based in the U.S., they may give different perspectives in your research. You can access this list by clicking here.
Wow here is an amazing find. Sage Publications offers a companion website for McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory. It is chock full of useful information. A lot of the articles are completely free, although some require an account with Sage Journals Online. Click here to access the companion website.
This is a great page I found from Oregon State University. A few theories you’ll find summaries for are Coordinated Management of Meaning, Uncertainty Reduction, Muted Group, and Cultivation Theory. This page should be good for any student who is just getting aquainted with communication theory. Click here to see the page.
Here is a link to the LSU Thesis and Dissertation collection. To the best of my knowledge you can read each entry online and the database goes back to somewhere around 2000. This is an excellent database for students who need a little more direction on how to write a thesis or dissertation. You can access it by clicking here.